IBM Unveils Handheld Reference Design

IBM Corp. is throwing its software weight behind the PowerPC 405LP PDA Reference Design, a palm-sized application platform based on its PowerPC processor that will be running MontaVista’s Linux, Trolltech’s GUI environment and a cadre of IBM’s enterprise software, including relational database and device management clients, voice and handwriting recognition and its J2ME virtual machine.

The extensive list of bundled software includes IBM’s HTTP servlet engine, SyncML client, embedded ViaVoice, GSM/GPRS support with phone dialer and SMS, Tivoli device management client, an OSGi-compliant service management framework, Everyplace Mobile Enterprise Application Kit, and the Consumer Electronics Edition of MontaVista Linux, which, according to IBM, works with its processor to reduce power consumption by as much as 50 percent. In addition, the Trolltech Qtopia windowing development framework and e-mail and productivity apps are included. Security software includes DES, triple-DES, SSL and IPsec.